Thread: Stone/rock at the end od downspouts??

Guys, I have done some work at my home and have a couple questions please. At the end of one of my gutters at the corner of the house I was wanting to put some creek rock or decorative gravel/stone of some kind for a splashblock. I l know I've seen this before but can't recall where or when. This would control erosion and be decorative as well. I guess it would look somewhat like a dry creek bed would look but not near as big. What do you think? And do any of you have any pics of something like this you have done? Mine would not be very big just maybe 3 feet or so long maybe. Thanks so much for the info. from you guys.

You could do this, but 3' is not long enough to get the rainwater away from the home. If you do this, add a liner underneath to keep the water flowing away from the foundation. Unfortunately this method is often used in the hopes that it is "magic rock" and it will magically absorb the downspout runoff. This method leads to eventual landscape and possibly foundation problems and I have lost count in how many times we have removed "magic rock" to be replaced with proper downspout drain basins and pipe.

A fabric liner will silt up pretty quickly and provide similar results to a pond liner. Very few fabric liners allow much water to pass through, especially when the water is moving. I use a pond liner when recreating a dry creek bed, at least until you have extended far enough from the foundation for the runoff to no longer be a problem.